Relations with Russia and calls for a new care deal
Here are the letters from the Spalding Guardian of February 24.
We could have had a new dawn
At the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union we had a real chance to put 50-plus years of distrust to one side and begin a brave dawn of co-operation and respect.
A Marshall Plan similar to the ones that led to the rebuilding of Germany and Japan could have been introduced to the post-Soviet empire, offering a chance to a build a better world.
This was not done as the West sought to rub Russian noses in the mud instead.
Need an example? An aid convoy was turned back by the G7 group because Russia had not paid a financial debt. Take a bow David Cameron.
Since then Russia has turned towards China. Joint military exercises have been carried out since 2005. In the last two years they include off the coasts of Japan and South Korea.
A dangerous scenario with simultaneous attacks on Taiwan and Ukraine is a distinct possibility. Let’s hope and pray not.
Rick Stringer
Sutton St James
A new deal is badly needed
Families of seriously ill children desperately need a new deal on care staff.
They are being asked to fill the void left by care staff shortages and that is having a dangerous impact on a tired and weary population of unpaid carers, whose children require round the clock medical supervision and complex care.
The families that WellChild supports have had two years without the proper care and support they need to keep their children safe at home, instead of hospital.
It is not acceptable or sustainable for exhausted parents to continue to cover care staff shortages.
In a recent WellChild survey, more than 50 families shared their experiences of reduced care packages, with nearly 80% experiencing problems with their care package since the Covid-19 outbreak and 88% saying there is an expectation from their care provider that they would cover ever more frequent staff shortages.
The impacts of this on families is enormous.
57% said the extra care responsibilities piled on to already-stressed parents has had a negative impact on their mental health.
63% of the parents said it is having a negative impact on their physical health.
37% said that they felt the changes to their care package have had a negative impact on their ability to keep their child safe.
WellChild is urgently calling for a ‘new deal’ for parents and carers of children with complex care needs.
In particular:
lUrgent action to address complex care workforce shortages;
lProvision and priority access to tailored mental health support for families;
lA review into the complex care workforce and implementation of a new national framework for care staff recruitment, pay, training and retention;
lMaking it an enforceable legal requirement for care providers to have contingency plans to provide cover when necessary.;
lActive engagement with parents to explore different and more creative models of care provision.
lSupport the Disabled Children’s Partnership call to close the £2.1bn funding gap for disabled children’s health and social care and for local councils to invest in the health and care services disabled children and families are entitled to.
Colin Dyer
WellChild chief executive
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
Bless you!
When did you last say, ‘bless you’? I don’t think it is true in every culture, but in mine, if somebody sneezes, it is polite to say, ‘bless you’. Hundreds of years ago sneezing used to be a sign that someone had a bad illness and saying ‘bless you’ was thought to protect them from death.
There are a few other expressions too. ‘Bless your heart’ is often said in a kind way, to show affection or sympathy. However, in some cultures, it can be an insult, or it may imply that someone is not very intelligent.
‘Bless my soul’ may be a bit old fashioned as an expression of surprise.
A blessing in disguise is something that seems bad or unlucky at first, but results in something good happening later.
For Christians, the source of all blessings is God. Jesus taught that various groups of people are blessed by God.
According to Matthew, Jesus said: Blessed are... the poor in spirit; those who mourn; the meek; those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; the merciful; the pure in heart; the peacemakers; those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Think about counting your blessings. Some people may remember words of an old hymn: Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your many blessings, see what God has done.
Sue Slater
St Mary & St Nicolas Church, Spalding
